House paint from the Isle of Skye made from organic seaweed, installing heat pumps in historic buildings, and a half day dedicated to how heat networks might create widespread affordable, low carbon electricity, are just some of the subjects being covered at the Green Home Festival this August.
The Green Home Festival, running at Charlotte Square Garden from 12 to 16 August, will feature a variety of free events, workshops, panel discussions and live demonstrations, all aimed at encouraging sustainable living practices.
“The Green Home Festival's ever-growing popularity reflects the increasing demand for sustainable living solutions,” said Gordon Nelson, Scotland Director of the Federation of Master Builders and lead organiser.
“We aim to educate, inform, and inspire action towards greener practices crucial for our future.”
One of the events will introduce three Scottish-based entrepreneurs who are creating low-carbon, building materials: Lucy Black from Kenoteq will talk about a new, sustainable low-carbon brick; Sam Baumber, Co-Founder of IndiNature, will then explain how UK grown and made bio-based insulation for roofs, floors and walls will help decarbonise construction; and Alasdair Campbell, owner and founder of the Isle of Skye Paint Company, will talk about the inspiration of his paint, made with organic seaweed.
Another presentation from industry practitioners and experts will look at the multiplier effect of incorporating together different green technologies such as heat pumps, solar power and smart devices.
Elsewhere experts will share how Passivhaus can create significant energy savings for self-build projects.
As well as introducing people to current eco-building practices there will be a full-size heat pump on show, with an accompanying session entitled “Debunking Heat Pump Myths in Pre-1919 Homes”.
Two sessions cover retrofits and another panel addresses the costs of greening your home in a presentation and discussion about accessing grants and the benefits of using certified professionals for low-carbon projects.
Scotland is still a long way off its goal of installing a zero-emissions heating system in most buildings by 2045 (currently it’s around 11%). In The Community Heating Show, on 15th August, experts will look at “what heat networks are and explore why they are poised to become the primary method of heating homes and buildings in cities in the future”.
A current example of this can be found in Shawfair, south of Edinburgh. Midlothian Council and renewable energy firm Vattenfall Heat UK are aiming to have 3000 homes powered by a national heat network by October.
In the next phase of the £30 million joint development, a further 1000 homes at Newton and Wellington Farms will use waste heat from FCC Environment’s Millerhill Recycling and Energy Recovery Centre.
The recycling plant will burn tonnes of waste which would normally go to landfills to create hot water which will then be transferred to homes in the towns via a giant heating network.
Homes connected to the heating network will have a heat interface unit installed instead of a boiler, which acts as a heat exchanger and will provide domestic hot water and central heating.
The plan is to also replace the gas boilers at The Royal Infirmary and expand the heat network to the BioQuarter and Edinburgh Council and Registered Social Landlords (RSL) housing in Greendykes and Craigmillar.
The Festival kicks off at 10am on 12 August and runs til 16 August 2024.
Admission to all events at the Green Home Festival is free.